The University of Akron Athletics
Saturday, February 22
Ashland, Ohio
All Day
University of Akron
vs
Ashland Last Chance
Akron Competes at Ashland Last Chance Meet
February 21 | Track & Field
ASHLAND LAST CHANCE MEET: MEET INFORMATION (PDF) | LIVE RESULTS
AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron track and field team culminates its preparations for next weekend's Mid-American Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Eastern Michigan (Feb. 28-March 1) traveling to Ashland, Ohio, to compete at the Ashland Last Chance Meet on Saturday (Feb. 22).
UP NEXT: Akron will travel to Ashland, Ohio, to participate in the Ashland Last Chance Meet.
Competition gets underway with the men's pole vault and shot put along with the women's high jump, long jump and weight throw at 11 a.m. before the meet concludes with the men's and women's 4x400 relays at 3:40 p.m.
Live stats will be available at GoZips.com.
A WEEK AGO: Akron registered a trio of school-record times as part of four victories and 21 overall top five efforts to highlight the performances of the Zips across a trio of meets last weekend.
The Zips participated at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational hosted by Boston University, the Doug Raymond Invitational at Kent State as well as the Windy City Invite hosted by Wisconsin.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Freshman Mercy Jebitok (Kapsabet, Kenya) registered a school-record time of 16:23.67 in the women's 5,000 meters at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational.
• Sophomore Titus Kirui (Eldoret, Kenya) won the men's 3,000 meters in a time of 8:34.35 at the Doug Raymond Invitational.
• Redshirt junior Owen Wendl (Medina, Ohio) bested the field in the men's shot put with a mark of 56-9.50 (17.31m).
• The men's 4x400 relay team placed second at the Windy City Invite in a season-best time of 3:11.12. The time is the fifth-best relay performance in indoor program history since 2014.
• Senior Joy Nwokike (Benin City, Nigeria) ran a school-record time of 53.29 to capture the women's 400-meter title at the Windy City Invite.
• Freshman Bismack Kipchirchir (Eldama Ravine, Kenya) registered a school-record time of 7:57.23 in the men's 3,000 meters at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational, while freshman Moses Lekokei (Kilgoris, Kenya) ran the second-fastest time in indoor program history in the men's 5,000 meters crossing the line in 13:56.25.
• Junior Vanessa Horn (Ludwigsfelde, Germany) posted the fourth-fastest time in program history in the women's 400 meters crossing the line in a career-best time of 54.66 at the Windy City Invite.
• Sophomore Jordan Thompson-Seay (Bratenahl, Ohio) won the men's high jump with a career-best mark of 6-6.75 (2.00m) at the Doug Raymond Invitational.
• Senior Grace Henderson (Rostraver Township, Pa.) finished second in the women's mile in a time of 5:06.99.
• Senior Cassidy Allen (Lakewood, N.Y.) earned a runner-up effort in the women's pole vault eclipsing 12-5.25 (3.79m).
KIPCHIRCHIR NAMED MAC TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Bismack Kipchirchir was honored by the Mid-American Conference as its Men's Track Athlete of the Week, the league announced on Tuesday (Feb. 18).
Kipchirchir registered a school-record time of 7:57.23 in the men's 3,000 meters at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational.
AKRON CROSS COUNTRY EARNS USTFCCCA ALL-ACADEMIC ACCOLADES: The Akron cross country team under the leadership of Zips' director of track and field/cross country Kendra Reimer-Gonzales and cross country head coach Evans Kiptoo garnered recognition for the squad's efforts in the classroom as the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) tabbed Akron a Division I All-Academic team for the 2024 campaign.
The Akron men's squad was honored for recording a 3.335 GPA, while the women's team garnered recognition for its work in the classroom for the 11th straight year with a 3.356 cumulative GPA.
Overall, 209 women's teams and 183 men's teams earned All-Academic team honors.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: The University of Akron track and field teams have garnered recognition for their efforts during the 2025 indoor season as the Zips are rated among the Top 30 in the Event Squad rankings for four events released on Feb. 18, 2025, as part of the United States Track and Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field National Rating Index.
Akron is rated 15th nationally in the women's weight throw, 17th in the men's shot put, 24th in the men's triple jump and 29th in the men's weight throw.
ZIPS RANK AMONG NATION'S BEST IN 2025 TFRRS RANKINGS: Akron have one individual student-athlete ranked in the Top 50 nationally by the Track and Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS) for the 2025 indoor campaign as Hunter Garretson is second in the nation in the men's pole vault (18-10.75/5.76m).
GARRETSON NAMED ELITE 90 WINNER: Hunter Garretson was the recipient of the Elite 90 award for the 2024 NCAA Division Men's Track and Field Indoor Championship.
Garretson, who is majoring in mathematics, boasts a perfect 4.0 GPA, was presented with the award during a presentation on March 8.
Winning the honor for the second consecutive season, Garretson became only the third multiple-time recipient of the award in Division I men's track and field joining Cincinnati's Adrian Valles (2017-Indoor | 2018-Indoor) and Nebraska's John Welk (2013-Outdoor | 2014-Outdoor).
The honor was the third time a Zip has garnered the distinguished honor joining Tyler Sanda, who won the award as a member of the Akron men's soccer team in 2015.
CRACKING THE ALL-TIME TOP FIVE PERFORMANCES: The Zips have added 22 overall top five performances and four school records in program history to the record book during the 2025 indoor campaign.
TOP MARKS:
Akron Men
Click Here
Akron Women
Click Here
AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron track and field team culminates its preparations for next weekend's Mid-American Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Eastern Michigan (Feb. 28-March 1) traveling to Ashland, Ohio, to compete at the Ashland Last Chance Meet on Saturday (Feb. 22).
UP NEXT: Akron will travel to Ashland, Ohio, to participate in the Ashland Last Chance Meet.
Competition gets underway with the men's pole vault and shot put along with the women's high jump, long jump and weight throw at 11 a.m. before the meet concludes with the men's and women's 4x400 relays at 3:40 p.m.
Live stats will be available at GoZips.com.
A WEEK AGO: Akron registered a trio of school-record times as part of four victories and 21 overall top five efforts to highlight the performances of the Zips across a trio of meets last weekend.
The Zips participated at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational hosted by Boston University, the Doug Raymond Invitational at Kent State as well as the Windy City Invite hosted by Wisconsin.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Freshman Mercy Jebitok (Kapsabet, Kenya) registered a school-record time of 16:23.67 in the women's 5,000 meters at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational.
• Sophomore Titus Kirui (Eldoret, Kenya) won the men's 3,000 meters in a time of 8:34.35 at the Doug Raymond Invitational.
• Redshirt junior Owen Wendl (Medina, Ohio) bested the field in the men's shot put with a mark of 56-9.50 (17.31m).
• The men's 4x400 relay team placed second at the Windy City Invite in a season-best time of 3:11.12. The time is the fifth-best relay performance in indoor program history since 2014.
• Senior Joy Nwokike (Benin City, Nigeria) ran a school-record time of 53.29 to capture the women's 400-meter title at the Windy City Invite.
• Freshman Bismack Kipchirchir (Eldama Ravine, Kenya) registered a school-record time of 7:57.23 in the men's 3,000 meters at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational, while freshman Moses Lekokei (Kilgoris, Kenya) ran the second-fastest time in indoor program history in the men's 5,000 meters crossing the line in 13:56.25.
• Junior Vanessa Horn (Ludwigsfelde, Germany) posted the fourth-fastest time in program history in the women's 400 meters crossing the line in a career-best time of 54.66 at the Windy City Invite.
• Sophomore Jordan Thompson-Seay (Bratenahl, Ohio) won the men's high jump with a career-best mark of 6-6.75 (2.00m) at the Doug Raymond Invitational.
• Senior Grace Henderson (Rostraver Township, Pa.) finished second in the women's mile in a time of 5:06.99.
• Senior Cassidy Allen (Lakewood, N.Y.) earned a runner-up effort in the women's pole vault eclipsing 12-5.25 (3.79m).
KIPCHIRCHIR NAMED MAC TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Bismack Kipchirchir was honored by the Mid-American Conference as its Men's Track Athlete of the Week, the league announced on Tuesday (Feb. 18).
Kipchirchir registered a school-record time of 7:57.23 in the men's 3,000 meters at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational.
AKRON CROSS COUNTRY EARNS USTFCCCA ALL-ACADEMIC ACCOLADES: The Akron cross country team under the leadership of Zips' director of track and field/cross country Kendra Reimer-Gonzales and cross country head coach Evans Kiptoo garnered recognition for the squad's efforts in the classroom as the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) tabbed Akron a Division I All-Academic team for the 2024 campaign.
The Akron men's squad was honored for recording a 3.335 GPA, while the women's team garnered recognition for its work in the classroom for the 11th straight year with a 3.356 cumulative GPA.
Overall, 209 women's teams and 183 men's teams earned All-Academic team honors.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: The University of Akron track and field teams have garnered recognition for their efforts during the 2025 indoor season as the Zips are rated among the Top 30 in the Event Squad rankings for four events released on Feb. 18, 2025, as part of the United States Track and Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field National Rating Index.
Akron is rated 15th nationally in the women's weight throw, 17th in the men's shot put, 24th in the men's triple jump and 29th in the men's weight throw.
ZIPS RANK AMONG NATION'S BEST IN 2025 TFRRS RANKINGS: Akron have one individual student-athlete ranked in the Top 50 nationally by the Track and Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS) for the 2025 indoor campaign as Hunter Garretson is second in the nation in the men's pole vault (18-10.75/5.76m).
GARRETSON NAMED ELITE 90 WINNER: Hunter Garretson was the recipient of the Elite 90 award for the 2024 NCAA Division Men's Track and Field Indoor Championship.
Garretson, who is majoring in mathematics, boasts a perfect 4.0 GPA, was presented with the award during a presentation on March 8.
Winning the honor for the second consecutive season, Garretson became only the third multiple-time recipient of the award in Division I men's track and field joining Cincinnati's Adrian Valles (2017-Indoor | 2018-Indoor) and Nebraska's John Welk (2013-Outdoor | 2014-Outdoor).
The honor was the third time a Zip has garnered the distinguished honor joining Tyler Sanda, who won the award as a member of the Akron men's soccer team in 2015.
CRACKING THE ALL-TIME TOP FIVE PERFORMANCES: The Zips have added 22 overall top five performances and four school records in program history to the record book during the 2025 indoor campaign.
| NAME | EVENT/DATE | RANK – MARK |
| Keegan Digby | Shot Put – Dec. 6 | No. 5 – 57-6.25 (17.53m) |
| Brook Boes | Weight Throw – Dec. 6 | No. 5 – 64-7 (19.68m) |
| Joy Nwokike | Women's 400M – Dec. 6 | No. 3 – 54.97 |
| Joy Nwokike | Women's 200M – Dec. 6 | No. 4 – 24.09 |
| Joy Nwokike | Women's 200M – Jan. 10 | No. 2 – 23.94 |
| Joy Nwokike | Women's 400M – Jan. 11 | No. 3 – 54.56 |
| Joy Nwokike | Women's 200M – Jan. 17 | No. 1 – 23.79 |
| Joy Nwokike | Women's 400M – Jan. 17 | No. 3 – 54.46 |
| Bismack Kipchirchir | Men's 3,000M – Jan. 17 | No. 4 – 8:08.57 |
| Hunter Garretson | Men's Pole Vault – Jan. 17 | No. 3 – 18-10.50 (5.75m) |
| Keegan Digby | Men's Shot Put – Jan. 17 | No. 5 – 58-3.25 (17.76m) |
| Mary Munga | Women's Mile – Jan. 25 | No. 5 – 4:50.08 |
| Bismack Kipchirchir | Men's Mile – Jan. 31 | No. 4 – 4:05.32 |
| Hunter Garretson | Men's Pole Vault – Feb. 7 | No. 3 – 18-10.75 (5.76m) |
| Mercy Jebitok | Women's 3,000M – Feb. 8 | No. 5 – 9:45.11 |
| Rukia Omulisia | Women's 60MH – Feb. 8 | No. 4 – 8.48 |
| Mercy Jebitok | Women's 5,000M – Feb. 15 | No. 1 – 16:23.67 |
| Braylyn Farrington Jimmy Harkelroad AJ Jordan Andrew Styles |
Men's 4x400 Relay – Feb. 15 | No. 4 – 3:11.12 |
| Joy Nwokike | Women's 400M – Feb. 14 | No. 1 – 53.29 |
| Bismack Kipchirchir | Men's 3,000M – Feb. 14 | No. 1 – 7:57.23 |
| Moses Lekokei | Men's 5,000M – Feb. 14 | No. 2 – 13:56.25 |
| Vanessa Horn | Women's 400M – Feb. 14 | No. 4 – 54.66 |
TOP MARKS:
Akron Men
Click Here
Akron Women
Click Here
Players Mentioned
Pole Vault
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Throws
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Throws
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Sprints
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Multis
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Sprints
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Distance
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Sprints
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Distance
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Sprints
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Distance
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Distance
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Distance
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Distance
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Sprints
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Sprints/Hurdles
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Sprints
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Jumps
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Throws
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